Please Don’t Ask For Extra Glasses: Your Camels Are Here Book 2 by @barbtaub Jayalakshmi Ayyer & Janine Smith #TravelMemoir #India

Author: Barb Taub

Photography by Jayalakshmi Ayyer and Janine Smith

Independently Published: February 2021

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Guess what India? We’re baaack! After our travel adventures the year before in which none of us technically died—although there were times it seemed like an attractive option—my two long-suffering travel companions, Jaya and Janine, actually agreed to another India trip. This time, we chose Rajasthan as a destination, mostly in hopes it would be as far as possible from people who might remember us from last year.Join us as we crash a wedding our first night, fall victim to an ancient curse, ride camels across a desert and elephants up a mountain—and eat our way across Rajasthan in the process.

Our adventurous trio (Barb from Scotland, Janine from Washington DC and Jaya from India) first made an appearance in Do Not Wash Hands in Plates when they decided to (try and) coordinate their outward journeys and meet at an airport in India. This time however, the get together was looking as though it might not happen when beaurocracy meant Janine’s visa was delayed…and delayed…and delayed some more, eventually necessitating an e-visa just in time for her flight. 

This time, Janine and I were supposed to meet up at the Mumbai International Airport. But due to a tragic annual event we have up north (winter), both our flights were delayed. 

I’d been travelling from Scotland for over eighteen hours, much of that time spent on the runway as the plane was repeatedly de-iced. More than a day earlier, Janine had left her home outside Washington DC in the middle of a blizzard, making it out on the last plane to take off before the Eastern USA put out the CLOSED sign and climbed back into bed to binge-watch old seasons of The Walking Dead.

Despite all obstacles Barb and Janine managed to eventually meet up at the Mumbai airport domestic terminal for their onward flight to a small airport in Gujarat where Jaya was waiting. On landing they were almost immediately swept up in a wedding party. From then on it was a whirlwind of hotels, travel, sightseeing and eating, totalling a travelling time of four weeks and almost 1,500 miles.

Barb’s narrative and observations are detailed, witty, informative and always a delight to read, giving a vivid account of their route, stops along the way, the food and retail opportunities on offer for shopaholic Barb, the incredible architecture, all of which is complimented by Janine’s and Jaya’s wonderful photos. 

Please Don’t Ask For Extra Glasses encompasses local legends, historical facts and amazing glimpses into India’s colourful history and culture, all woven into a humorous account of an eventful few weeks discovering and sampling what Gujarat, and more specifically, Rajasthan have to offer. And what the trip offered was an amazing variety of foods, accommodations ranging from tents to palaces and most places in between, opportunities to see and marvel over ancient treasures and stunning views.

There are also helpful travel tips about where to shop, (including bazaars, open air markets, roadside stalls to name a few) eat, stay and how to get where you want to go. An extremely interesting, enjoyable and entertaining read.  

Book links ~ Amazon UK | Amazon US

BARB TAUB is a humor and urban fantasy author, caffeinated AussieDog wrangler, Yankee expat, and travel junkie. Following her daring daytime escape to England, Barb has lived in a medieval castle, a Hobbit House, and a magic Scottish Isle. You can find her online at https://barbtaub.com/